THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Monday, censured former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi over his hunger comment.
At a media parley in the nation’s capital Abuja, Wike said Amaechi can’t stay out of power and his hunger comment was an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians.
Wike said with over two unbroken decades in various top public offices, Amaechi can’t claim that he is hungry for food.
Wike and Amaechi are both political gladiators in oil-rich Rivers State in Nigeria’s riverine Niger Delta area. The two share a history of being former governors. Incidentally, Wike took over as Rivers governor from Amaechi in 2015 after the latter had exhausted the constitutionally allowed eight-year limit.
Wike was also governor for eight years – from May 2015 to May 2023.
Last Friday, at an event organised to mark his 60th birthday anniversary, Amaechi said he is hungry and he won’t mind joining the coalition led by opposition arrowhead Atiku Abubakar to trounce President Bola Tinubu at the 2027 polls.
However, Wike, a minister in the president’s cabinet, said Amaechi was hungry for power, and not food.
Wike said, “I don’t know why a man would choose his 60th birthday to tell lies. It’s unfortunate. Of all times, on your 60th birthday when people are celebrating you?
“He was (Rivers State) Speaker from 1999 to 2007. He was the most pampered speaker. He became a governor from 2007 to 2015. Eight years as Rivers State House of Assembly Speaker, and eight years as governor, he never talked about hunger.
“He became a minister from 2015 to 2023, eight years as a super minister of transport. When he was borrowing money (for projects), he didn’t talk about hunger.”
“Two years after office, he says: ‘I’m in coalition because I’m hungry’. He is only hungry for power and that shows failure on his part.
“How do you insult Nigerians? How do you trivialise the issue of hunger or poverty? He joined Atiku, and (ex-Kaduna governor Nasir) el-Rufai, all because he is hungry, has he not insulted Nigerians? Just that he can’t stay out of power,” he added.
